The Nigerian Army has announced the destruction of multiple illegal refining sites in Rivers and Bayelsa States by its troops.
The operations were conducted by the Land Component of the Joint Task Force, South-South, under Operation Delta Safe.
Lt. Col. Jonah Danjuma, the Acting Deputy Director of 6 Division Army Public Relations, disclosed this in a statement from Port Harcourt on Wednesday morning.
Danjuma emphasized that this success reflects a renewed commitment to curbing the activities of notorious illegal oil bunkering operations in the Niger Delta Region. He noted that the army has intensified efforts to combat these criminal elements, aiming to boost oil production in the crude oil and gas-rich region.
The statement detailed the operations, stating, “In Rivers State, troops of Sector 3, Land Component, Joint Task Force, South-South Operation Delta Safe, acted on credible intelligence to identify and destroy three illegal refining sites in Odagwa, Etche Local Government Area. This operation resulted in the seizure and destruction of over 30,000 liters of stolen and illegally refined products.”
Furthermore, in the Akaso field extending to the Cawthorne channel around well 9, troops uncovered one illegal refining site, three receivers, and extensive connecting pipes used to transport stolen crude to illegal refining sites.
Danjuma added, “Other items were also confiscated and destroyed at these sites in line with Operation Delta Safe’s mandate in the Niger Delta Region.”
In Bayelsa State, troops of Sector 2, during routine operations in the creeks, waterways, and rivulets along Dasaba Creek in Nembe LGA, seized over 12,000 liters of stolen and illegally refined products. The items recovered at the illegal refining site included one fiber boat, five ovens, several metal drums, and large reservoirs used for storage in this illicit enterprise.
